Quite often, fans go to the ballpark and observe something they’ve never seen before. Saturday night could have been just such an occasion.

Florida State left-hander Jamie Arnold struck out the side in the second inning, getting all three batters swinging. But he did it on the minimum nine pitches.

“In high school I was one pitch away and I got hosed on a call, a fastball,” Arnold said. “And the next pitch I threw the same exact pitch and they called it a strike. So I was salty about that since two years ago.”

Arnold was fired up after Braden Calise was the third strikeout. He pumped a fist in the air, celebrating the moment to the appreciation of 5,246 fans at Dick Howser Stadium.

FSU’s sophomore has been in command throughout 2024. On Saturday, he had 12 strikeouts against just two walks and gave up just three hits and two walks in FSU's 5-2 win over UCF.

While his control gave way late, Arnold was dominating.

“You don’t see stuff like that often at any level,” FSU coach Link Jarrett said. “I don’t know looking back if I’ve seen the immaculate inning before. I don’t think I’ve seen it in person. Don’t see it unless you have that kind of stuff. And he’s got that kind of stuff.”

First-year UCF coach Rich Wallace was in the FSU dugout as an assistant coach in 2023 and saw Arnold’s development during his freshman year.

“Jamie Arnold is the best pitcher we’ve seen all year,” Wallace said. “The stuff was great.”

Carson Dorsey and Jamie Arnold have gone deep into FSU’s regional games, combining for 15.2 of 18 innings with just three earned runs allowed between them. The bullpen is also rested, with the Seminoles using just Brennen Oxford for a combined 2.1 innings in the two games.

Jarrett was asked about the decision to roll with Dorsey in game 1 against Stetson instead of Arnold and how the pitchers’ performances affirmed the decision by FSU’s coaching staff.

“Really good,” Jarrett said. “Because if it doesn’t, I’m sitting up here probably telling a different story to you. What Dorsey did last night is really sets the tone for the alignment of the pitching to work. It wasn’t as much about who we were playing, it was about our personnel and how we thought we could best manage the longevity of the tournament.

“At the end of the day the players have to execute and they have to perform and they have to respond the role they’re in. And everybody has. It’s great.”

Jarrett said he and pitching coach Micah Posey are likely “heading toward (Conner) Whittaker” as FSU’s pitcher in Sunday night’s game against the UCF-Stetson winner (those teams will play in an afternoon elimination game).

Whittaker hasn’t been needed in the first few games and has shown to be effective as a starter and reliever. But his experience as a starter should help.

“Micah and I were talking about it,” Jarrett said. “Probably heading toward Whittaker. I haven’t had enough time to sit down with him. He’s had outings that have progressed in pitch count. And now he’s had good rest. … I think he’s ready to go.”

Whittaker pitched twice in the ACC Tournament, starting against Georgia Tech in pool play (tossing two shutout innings and 35 pitches) and then picking up the save in the semifinal vs. Wake Forest (giving up two earned runs on 49 pitches in 2.2 innings).

Cam Smith hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, helping to extend FSU’s lead to 5-0. In the excitement, Smith said he didn’t realize how he was celebrating.

“That was awesome,” Smith said. “At first I thought it was a sac fly. And that kind of caught me by surprise. So that’s why I kind of went crazy.”

Smith was shown on TV pointing at himself, which UCF’s dugout took to be taunting. Some reports indicated Smith made an obscene gesture, but Smith clearly used his index finger when pointing to himself.

Jarrett was called over by the umpires for a brief conversation and explained that Smith had received a warning.

Smith’s home run was his 15th of 2024 and FSU’s 110th in 2024, doubling last year’s total. The Seminoles are one home run away from tying fifth place on the single-season home run list (111 in 1999). While a few more are reachable, the Seminoles will be unlikely to challenge 146 in 1985 (82 games) or 131 in 1982 (74 games).

UCF and Stetson will face off on Sunday at noon. FSU will play the UCF-Stetson winner at 6 p.m. No TV has been set for either game.

There's also rain in the forecast for Sunday afternoon, which could again push the schedule back.

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